Long Island Nursing Home Workers Charged with Assault in Beating of Elderly Resident

A nurse and a personal care aide at Woodhaven Center in Port Jefferson, Long Island have been charged with assault and endangering the welfare of an elderly person. The charges stem from an investigation into the beating of an elderly resident of the home. The two women allegedly held the defenseless man down and beat him after he refused to take a shower. The resident was in the nursing home due to dementia and being bed-ridden.

Certainly, as many of the incidents recounted in this blog can attest to, not every individual has the personality or character to work with the elderly. This type of work can become increasingly difficult when the elderly patient suffers from dementia. Regardless of a caregiver’s make-up, incidents such as this that rise to the level of criminality always come as a shock. New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, who has taken a strong stance on elder abuse in the past, said of the assault: “[Y]ou rarely see something this despicable…Absolutely disgraceful.” As he has pledged in the past, there is no doubt that Schneiderman will prosecute this action to the fullest extent possible.

Also shocking is that this is not the first alleged criminal act to have taken place at Woodhaven just this year. In April we reported on a CNA at Woodhaven accused of photographing a resident’s genitals without permission, and then distributing the image via text message. At the time the Attorney General stated that his office would not stand for the abuse of the elderly by their would-be caretakers. We can only presume that Attorney General Schneiderman did not expect one of his next press conferences about this subject to be at the very same facility.

A detailed report, including reactions from family members, can be found at newyork.cbslocal.com: